As our global society advances technologically, so does our architectural design and engineering. With time, buildings have been made more stable and resistant to the elements. However, with these advancements comes the need for funds; many countries are unable to subsidize the development of stable housing, particularly in earthquake-prone environments. Currently, the foundations of arch systems in housing in low-income areas of the world are largely unstable when facing a typical earthquake; this often leads to the collapse and complete destruction of buildings in areas including but not limited to Nepal, Indonesia, and El Salvador. By examining and analyzing the arch system created evolutionarily in the human foot, called a “semi-rigid” arch, Applicant has identified a way of creating an arch that can, when put under pressure, become more stable instead of collapsing. Forces of pressure can be countered using a “stacked dynamic wedge” foundation beneath semi-rigid arches, causing arches to become more rigid during an earthquake. Applicant has invented a more efficient foundation system than current architectural designs which will prevent failure in building structures.
Arches are architectural structures that force any weight being supported by the top of the arch to be distributed as outward instead of straight down. Homes are built with some type of arch embedded in them. In modern architecture, the currently used arch is called a “rigid arch.” This includes rectangular, round, and inflexible arch support systems that, when put under pressure far beyond their intended purpose, collapse. By modeling after the human foot's “semi-rigid” arch system and using dynamic wedge bases, an architectural alternative can be presented by which houses in earthquake-prone areas are built to become more stable, rather than collapse, when put under immense strain and pressure. The present invention will allow for low-income areas to build affordable yet stable housing that will prevent collapse during earthquakes.
Human anatomy has had millions of years of evolution to get to the point it's at today. Suffice it to say, our bodies are built more complexly and efficiently than many man-made structures. Consider the human foot: it is observably an arch. However, unlike the structures seen in our buildings, it is flexible; the human foot has a certain plasticity to it, where it can be manipulated and moved when at rest, and when put under pressure, it becomes stiff and stable. The biological arch is a “dynamic arch” in that during the Gait cycle, it can become rigid when necessary, and plastic when need be. The ability to become stiff allows the foot to neutralize and counter ground forces and stabilize the body, while the plasticity of the arch allows for the foot to continue movement otherwise and act as a shock absorber.
Any arch's stability is largely based on the base upon which it is resting. In order to provide stability and prevent collapse during earthquakes, arches have been placed on foundations including springs and blocks. Alternative methods of providing stability that have been proposed are wires running between either side of the arch or reinforcements at the bottom of the arch. There are numerous methods of stabilizing structures against catastrophic failure, especially during earthquakes. Proper footings, appropriate design and material, are the common way of addressing these challenges. More elaborate structural additions in an earthquake zone are reinforced foundations for vibration and shearing force management. Layered foundation footings, giant springs, giant rollers, deep footings, soft base, and others measures can be used independently or in combination. All aim at keeping the structure (building) standing and avoiding catastrophic failure. Ultimately, these methods prove unreliable and often unstable, not to mention uneconomical. Also, none addresses a situation where the point of failure has already been reached.
None of the existing foundation designs is intended to or capable of successfully increasing the rigidity and strength of the structure upon movement. None of the existing foundation designs cause an arch to become more stable upon increased pressure in the system instead of collapsing. None of the existing foundation designs allow for movement within the arch structure in addition to movement within the foundation.